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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1980
RULES FOR ELECTRONIC GAMES CENTRES MAY BE RELAXED ******
THE COMMISSIONER FOR TELEVISION AND ENTERTAINMENT LICENSING, MR NIGEL WATT SAID TODAY THAT HE WAS CONSIDERING TAKING A MORE LIBERAL APPROACH TO THE PROCEDURES FOR LICENSING ELECTRONIC GAMES MACHINES.
SPEAKING AT A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE CITY LIONS CLUB OF HONG KONG, MR WATT SAID HE MIGHT PERMIT THE LICENSING OF AUTOMATIC MACHINE CENTRES, WITHOUT SUCH CENTRES BEING NECESSARILY TIED TO OTHER FORMS OF ENTERTAINMENT, PROVIDED THEY ARE RESTRICTED TO HEALTHY ELECTRONIC GAMES.
HE STRESSED THAT HE WAS NOT CONTEMPLATING LICENSING GAMBLING MACHINES SUCH AS ONE ARMED BANDITS+ OR +FRUIT MACHINES+,
BY ELECTRONIC GAMES MACHINES, MR WATT SAID HE WAS REFERRING TO THOSE PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THE COMPUTER REVOLUTION IN RECENT YEARS WHICH PROVIDE, IN MANY CASES, ORIGINAL AND HEALTHY AVENUES FOR PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION.
SOME OF THESE MACHINES, HE SAID, ARE SO COMPLEX AND LARGE THAT THEY LOOK LIKE INDOOR SPORTING CENTRES.
+WHETHER YOUR HOBBY BE GOLF, BASE-BALL, SHOOTING, MOTOR- CYCLING, OR MOTOR-RALLY DRIVING, THERE IS A MACHINE TO TEST YOUR SKILLS AND TO GIVE YOU OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRACTICE IN YOUR FAVOURITE SPORT, HE EXPLAINED.
IN THE PAST, THE MAJORITY OF MACHINES LICENSED IN HONG KONG HAVE BEEN OF THE OLD STYLE PIN-BALL MACHINES WHICH MANY PEOPLE THINK ARE CONDUCIVE TO GAMBLING AND ARE AN UNDESIRABLE INFLUENCE ON YOUNG PEOPLE.
AT PRESENT, THERE ARE 92 ESTABLISHMENTS WHERE MACHINES ARE PERMITTED AS AN ANCILLARY TO OTHER ENTERTAINMENT.
LICENCES ARE ISSUED FOR ABOUT 1 200 MACHINES OF WHICH ABOUT A THIRD ARE SMALL ELECTRONIC GAMES MACHINES WHICH ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO THE SAME LICENSING RESTRICTIONS SINCE THE LAW DOES NOT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THEM, MR WATT SAID.
HE ENVISAGED THAT IF AUTOMATIC MACHINES CENTRES WERE TO BE LICENSED IN ISOLATION FROM OTHER ENTERTAINMENT FACILITIES, THE PLACES WOULD HAVE TO BE IN COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS OR IN THE COMMERCIAL SECTIONS OF MIXED USER BUILDINGS WHERE THE COMMERCIAL SECTION HAS ENTRANCES AND EXITS SEPARATE FROM THE RESIDENTIAL AREAS.
HE THOUGHT ADULT AMUSEMENT CENTRES SHOULD BE RESTRICTED TO PEOPLE OVER 16 YEARS OF AGE AND SHOULD NOT BE HOUSED IN BUILDINGS CLOSE TO SCHOOLS OR ANY OTHER CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES SO AS TO PROTECT YOUNG PEOPLE AGAINST UNDESIRABLE INFLUENCE OR BULLYING BY OLDER PARTICIPANTS.
ON THE OTHER HAND, MR WATT THOUGHT THESE MACHINES SHOULD ALSO BE ALLOWED TO BE INCLUDED IN CHILDREN'S RECREATION CENTRES BECAUSE CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE DEPRIVED OF THE RIGHT TO TAKE PART IN THESE HEALTHY GAMES IN PROPERLY CONTROLLED PREMISES.
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